Liverpool's Quiet New Dawn
Due to turbulent recent form, many supporters are expecting Liverpool to overhaul their squad under new management this summer.
Right now, there’s no doubt about it, Liverpool have encountered a bit of a sticky patch, and that’s why everybody is naturally encouraging Michael Edwards to rip the whole thing up in the summer before starting again under a new manager.
On Thursday night, the Reds won against Atalanta, but not by enough of a margin to progress into the next round of the Europa League, losing 3-1 on aggregate after 180 minutes of action.
We’ve faced Manchester United twice over the past month, failing to beat them on both occasions, even though Erik ten Hag’s men are pretty terrible at playing as unit.
Liverpool also lost 1-0 against Crystal Palace just last weekend, with Manchester City seizing control at the top of the Premier League table with just six matches remaining.
Jürgen Klopp’s outfit don’t look very good right now. I get it. They aren’t in great form, but those who are expecting Liverpool to sell their entire squad in the coming months might be in for a bit of a surprise once the transfer window opens.
Richard Hughes has just been appointed into the role of sporting director at Anfield. He’s new in the job, and although he’s got Edwards above him — who is technically working for Fenway Sports Group rather than Liverpool — he’s still got quite a job on his hands.
Replacing Klopp is going to be hard enough. The modern version of Bill Shankly is irreplaceable in many ways, and the managerial market isn’t packed full of candidates at the moment, even though Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool are shopping for options.
Appointing a manager is the first priority for Hughes and beyond that, you need to employ his coaching staff, too. Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz and Vitor Matos are following Klopp out of the door, so you’ve got plenty of internal voids to address.
Moreover, Hughes will have to deal with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold regarding their contract situations, with all three on course to leave for free in 2025.
Do you really think anyone is thinking about transfers?
Once Klopp’s successor arrives on the scene, he’ll have to get to know each and every player at the club before the new season starts. The Liverpool squad is pretty deep right now, and that’s without including youngsters who could make a real impact once returning from injuries or loan spells, such as Owen Beck, Stefan Bajčetić and Tyler Morton.
The new manager will have to work with a completely new group. He’ll have to integrate his own methods and his preferred system. He’ll have to work out who is going to play where, and he’ll have to grasp the strengths and weaknesses of his players, which takes time.
All of that is going to take precedence over making transfers. If you’re taking charge of a fresh group consisting of Salah, Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alisson Becker and Darwin Núñez to name just a few stars, the last thing you’re thinking about is who to sign from elsewhere.
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